It can take visits to ten or more bureaus at several ministries and the filing of dozens of documents to get final approval for a business plan.

ECONOMIST: Small firms are a big problem for Europe��s periphery

It has, though, taken Dr Baselt and his colleagues, along with researchers in several other organisations, ten years to turn his insight into a practical technology.

ECONOMIST: Labs on a chip

Since you may take a month, or ten months, or several years to turn one idea into a piece of writing, what governs the choice?

NEWYORKER: Progression